THE 


TONTINUATION  COMMITTEE 
CONFERENCES  IN  ASIA 


1912-1913 


A BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  CONFERENCES 
BY  DR.  JOHN  R.  MOTT,  TOGETHER  WITH 
THEIR  FINDINGS  AND  LISTS  OF  MEMBERS 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  CHAIRMAN  OF 
THE  CONTINUATION  COMMITTEE 


HE  “expressions  of  united  judgment  and 


desire,”  as  prepared  and  adopted  by 
the  twenty-one  conferences  of  missionaries 
and  native  Christian  leaders  held  in  India, 
Malaysia,  China,  Korea  and  Japan,  in  1912- 
1913,  are  in  this  volume  brought  together, 
classified  and  made  completely  available 
through  thorough  indexing.  No  other  au- 
thority approaches  this  book  as  a source  of 
information  concerning  the  present  status  of 
Christian  thought  and  conviction  in  Asia 
with  reference  to  the  outstanding  problems 
of  missions.  The  volume  is  indispensable 
for  all  engaged  in  the  supervision  or  admin- 
istration of  missionary  affairs,  whether  at  the 
home  base  or  on  the  mission  field,  and  also 
for  all  close  students  of  the  methods  and 
progress  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE  CONFER- 
ENCES AND  OF  THEIR 
FINDINGS 

The  influence  of  “Edinburgh,  1910”  was  already 
felt  in  India.  It  was  accordingly  at  an  opportune  time 
that  the  series  of  Indian  conferences  was  held.  Is  it 
not  obvious  that  the  hand  of  God  is  in  it  all  ? Such 
at  any  rate  is  the  conviction  of  the  men  and  women 
who  had  the  privilege  of  facing  the  great  task  together, 
and  they  have  gone  back  to  their  ordinary  spheres  of 
labor  with  a determination  not  to  rest  till  their  fellow- 
workers  see  something  of  that  vision  which  opened  up 
before  their  eyes  in  those  memorable  days,  and  join 
them  in  strenuous  effort  for  its  realization. 

Rev.  J.  H.  M ACLEAN,  M.  A., 

United  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 

— The  International  Review  of  Missions. 

The  outcome  of  the  [India  National]  Conference  is 
a series  of  findings,  which  is  a challenge  to  the  whole  of 
Christendom  to  pray,  to  toil,  to  sacrifice  for  the  salva- 
tion of  India,  which  day  is  nearer  than  many  think,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  at  least  100,000,000  of  the  people 
have  never  heard  of  Christ. 

—Editorial^  The  Harvest  Fields  India. 

The  important  place  and  character  of  the  Indian 
Church  in  the  coming  years,  the  new  emphasis  that 
must  be  put  upon  Indian  leadershfp,  and  the  prepara- 
tions that  must  be  made  at  once  for  larger  accessions 
to  the  Church  of  Christ  than  past  years  have  shown ; 
the  marvellous  possibilities  in  the  field  of  co-operative 
effort— whether  educational,  medical,  literary,  indus- 
trial, or  even  directly  evangelistic ; the  increased  need 
for  the  special  training  of  missionaries — men  and 
women — both  before  they  arrive  and  after  they  have 


reached  their  field  of  service;  in  all  these  matters,  prin- 
ciples of  missionary  policy  were  laid  down,  some  of 
them  far  in  advance  of  the  findings  of  the  last  Decen- 
nial Conference  of  India  missionaries  held  ten  years 
ago.  Thus  it  will  be  realized  that  the  All-India  Con- 
ference has  marked  a distinct  advance  on  all  past 
Indian  missionary  history. 

Rev.  Herbert  Anderson, 

Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

— The  Chinese  Recorder. 


A policy  looking  to  the  possibilities  of  a large  and 
more  vigorous  development  of  mission  operations  has 
been  adopted  by  the  most  widely  representative  body 
of  Christian  workers  ever  gathered  together  in  India 
[the  India  National  Conference],  and  if  it  is  loyally 
and  energetically  pursued,  its  inauguration  will  undoubt- 
edly mark  a new  era  in  the  history  of  missions  in 

this  land.  ^ Wilson,  D.D., 

Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada. 

— The  Indian  Witness. 


The  findings  of  the  final  or  National  Conference 
[in  India]  held  in  Calcutta  are  remarkable  from  every 
point  of  view,  whether  it  be  the  very  varied  personnel  and 
diverse  ecclesiastical  connections  of  those  who  were 
appointed  as  delegates  to  it,  the  comprehensiveness  and 
thoroughness  of  their  plans  for  the  treatment  of  the 
whole  subject  of  Christian  missions  and  the  Christian 
Church  in  India,  or  the  seriousness  and  enthusiasm 
with  which  all  seemed  to  welcome  and  give  their 
adhesion  to  the  general  principle  of  co-operation  of 
which  the  Conference  was  the  expression.  . . . Some 
understanding  of  these  findings  is  essential  to  all 
directors  who  would  guide  the  deliberations  of  the 
Board,  and  to  ministers  and  other  supporters  who  wish 
intelligently  to  anticipate  and  to  follow  the  newer 
phases  of  missionary  statesmanship. 

— Annual  Report^  London  Missionary  Society,  ig^S' 


The  findings  of  the  All-India  Conference  are  of 
peculiar  value.  They  sum  up  in  the  briefest  possible 
space  the  deliberate  opinion  of  the  leading  missionaries 
of  India  and  Ceylon  as  to  the  points  that  need  emphasis, 
the  methods  that  should  be  adopted,  the  directions  in 
which  we  ought  to  advance,  the  weak  spots  that  need 
strengthening.  They  will  be  a stirring  manifesto  to 
the  supporters  of  missions  at  the  home  base  and  an 
invaluable  guide  both  to  committees  at  home  and  the 
missionaries  on  the  field.  . . . This  conference 

marks  the  dawn  of  a new  day.  Its  findings  are  instinct 
with  a scientific  passion  for  information  and  efficiency. 

It  wants  to  know  the  facts,  study  the  conditions,  com- 
pare methods,  form  plans,  and  have  a definite  policy. 

It  proclaims  that  the  old  haphazard  ways  are  obsolete. 
We  are  going  for  the  future  to  survey  India  as  a whole 
and  to  try  to  make  each  department  of  our  work  as 
perfect  and  complete  as  possible. 

The  Bishop  of  Madras, 

The  Church  of  England. 

— The  International  Review  of  Missions. 

This  [China  National]  Conference  has  digged 
deeper  than  any  missionary  Conference  in  China  ever 
did  before ; it  has  brought  more  valuable  material  to 
the  surface.  Rev.  C.  J.  Voskamp, 

Berlin  Missionary  Society. 

— The  Chinese  Recorder. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  the  history  of 
the  Christian  enterprise  in  China  never  before  [the 
China  National  Conference]  has  such  a representative 
body  of  both  missionaries  and  Chinese  workers  sat 
together  in  discussing  matters  concerning  the  whole 
work,  and  in  exchanging  ideas  as  to  methods  and  plans 
which  would  help  forward  the  Christian  cause  more 
speedily  and  more  effectively. 

Rev.  Ch‘eng  Ch'ing-yi, 

— The  International  Review  of  Missions. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  of  us 
that  great  gain  will  follow  the  communication  of  the 
reports  to  the  Boards  at  home,  for  whom  it  is  of  the 
first  importance  to  know  the  general  mind  of  the  Mis- 
sions and  Churches  in  China.  Step  by  step  the  pro- 
ceedings showed  us  that  such  a general  mind  can  be 
discovered  and  has  been  expressed  on  some  moment- 
ous matters.  p Baylis,  M.A., 

Secretary,  Church  Missionary  Society,  London. 

— The  Chinese  Recorder. 


The  findings  of  the  China  National  Conference 
will  be  accessible  to  every  missionary  in  China  and  to 
every  society  working  in  that  imperial  republic.  The 
combined  effect  of  these  papers  is  a clarion  call  to  the 
Churches  of  Europe  and  America  to  arouse  themselves. 
It  is  the  call  of  duty,  of  privilege,  of  unexampled  op- 
portunity. It  is  the  call  for  heavy  re-enforcements 
alike  for  the  evangelistic,  the  educational,  the  medical 
staff.  In  the  providence  of  God  pressing  problems  and 
open  doors  are  simultaneously  urged  upon  the  Church 
of  today  as  never  before  in  the  history  of  Christian 

Rev.  Arthur  H.  Smith,  D.D., 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 

— The  Congregationalist. 


civilization. 


When  readers  remember  that  these  various  reports 
[of  the  China  National  Conferences]  represent  the 
convictions  of  sixty  different  committees  in  the  six 
conferences,  that  they  thus  represent  almost  every  sec- 
tion of  China,  that  they  represent  the  women  as  well  as 
the  men,  and  the  Chinese  as  well  as  the  missionaries, 
and  that  each  of  the  various  reports  had  come  before 
the  National  Conference  of  China  for  question,  discus- 
sion and  amendment,  and  that  each  report  on  the  final 
vote  was  adopted  unanimously,  and  that  a China  Con- 
tinuation Committee  was  unanimously  elected,  the 
significance  of  these  decisions  will  grow  upon  the 
Christian  world.  ...  If  these  recommendations 


are  carried  out  they  will  prove  prophetic ; they  will  save 
China  from  that  petty  ecclesiastical  rivalry,  leading  to 
the  multiplication  of  denominational  churches  in  every 
town,  which  has  constituted  one  of  the  weaknesses  of 
Protestantism;  they  will  help  to  the  realization  of  John 
Wesley’s  prayer  “for  a league  offensive  and  defensive 
with  every  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ”;  they  will  help  to 
prepare  the  way  for  and  give  great  impetus  to  the 
coming  World  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order;  they 
will  help  in  the  realization  of  Christ’s  prayer  for  the 
unity  of  believers ; they  will  prove  not  only  a forward 
step  for  China  but  will  help  toward  a forward  step  for 
Christendom. 

Bishop  J.  W.  Bashford,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

— The  International  Review  of  Missions. 

The  tremendous  amount  of  careful  work  done  in 
planning  for  and  carrying  through  the  five  conferences 
that  preceded  the  National  Conference  just  held  re- 
sulted in  such  a focussing  of  thought  on  pressing  prob- 
lems that  decisions  were  reached  that  can  hardly  fail 
to  be  accepted  as  desirable  solutions.  . . . The 

Home  Base  has  for  some  time  been  in  doubt  as 
to  whether  certain  tendencies  on  the  Mission  Field 
were  superficial  movements  or  genuine  developments 
in  mission  policy.  Such  doubts  will  find  their  answer 
in  the  findings  of  this  Conference.  A consensus  of 
missionary  opinion  has  been  evolved,  through  a series 
of  conferences,  that  make  it  more  really  representative 
of  what  the  majority  of  missionaries  are  thinking  than 
that  put  forth  in  any  conference  in  China  ever  held 
before.  . . . There  has  come  a vision  of  the  needs 

of  China  as  a whole  that  will  at  once  make  us  better 
fitted  to  meet  it,  for  only  they  who  see  a task  in  all 
its  bearings  can  adequately  plan  for  it.  We  stand 
now  where  we  can  plan  on  broader  lines  than  ever 
before.  . . . The  findings  represent  a digest  of 

opinions  on  modern  mission  problems  in  China  never 


before  secured.  They  are  a compendium  of  practical 
experience  that  transcends  any  book  yet  written  on 
mission  work  in  China.  Possibly  few  things  were  said 
which  have  not  been  said  before,  but  this  Conference 
brought  about  such  a solidifying  of  these  ideas  as  to 
prove  that  the  time  has  come  to  act  upon  them.  The 
aim  of  the  Conference  was  constructive  throughout, 
and  resulted  in  the  formation  of  definite  plans  for 
advance.  The  attempts  to  carry  out  these  plans  will 
introduce  an  epoch  in  mission  work  in  China  that  will 
rightly  deserve  the  title  of  “new.” 

— Editorial^  The  Chinese  Recorder. 

The  formal  report  unanimously  adopted  by  the 
Tokyo  Conference  marks  a new  stage,  not  only  in 
missionary  work,  but  in  the  modern  history  of  Chris- 
tianity. . . . The  note  of  prophecy  was  struck 

again  and  again. — Editorial^  The  Outlook^  New  York. 

The  findings  of  these  [Japan]  Conterences  are  of 
immense  importance  to  all  who  are  engaged  in  Mission 
work  of  any  kind  in  Japan,  as  well  as  to  the  Mission 
Boards  under  whose  auspices  this  work  is  carried  on. 
They  are  of  no  less  importance  to  the  Japanese 
Churches  and  to  the  whole  cause  of  Christianity 
in  this  land. — Editorial,  The  Japan  Evangelist. 

We  think  that  those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
be  present  at  the  sessions  will  agree  that  they  were, 
and  long  will  be,  the  out-standing  event  in  the  history 
of  the  modern  Christian  movement  in  Japan.  , . 

At  this  moment  the  leaders  in  the  Christian  movement 
in  Japan,  as  well  as  the  rank  and  file,  have,  as  a result 
of  the  Conferences,  a vision  of  what  is  meant  by  the 
Christianization  of  Japan,  which,  in  the  loftiness  of  its 
conception,  is  far  ahead  of  anything  heretofore  enter- 
tained, They  understand  better  than  ever  before  the 
great  difficulty  of  the  undertaking,  but  also  the  great 
forces,  spiritual  and  material,  foreign  and  Japanese, 


which  can  be,  and  must  be,  directed  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  that  ideal.  They  cannot  but  see  that  a start, 
and  only  a start,  has  been  made ; but  the  great  pos- 
sibilities, under  the  leadership  of  the  Conquering  Christ, 
must  act  as  a stimulant,  a challenge,  leading  them  to 
consecrate  anew  and  more  hopefully  than  ever  before, 
their  utmost  power.  g_ 

Reformed  Church  in  America. 

— The  Christian  Movement  in  Japan,  1^13. 

The  “findings”  of  the  Continuation  Committee 
Conferences  held  under  Dr,  Mott’s  chairmanship  in 
India,  China,  and  Japan  last  winter.  . . . are  of 

unique  value  to  missionary  leaders.  They  focus  the 
experience  of  the  missionary  body  upon  all  the  great 
problems  of  their  work.  They  give  an  interdenomi- 
national and  international  summary  of  expert  opinion, 
and  provide  evidence  of  a kind  never  available  before. 
For  years  to  come  they  will  probably  be  a final  court 
of  appeal.  They  supplement,  and  in  some  senses 
surpass,  the  Reports  of  the  World  Missionary  Con- 
ference. On  every  question  of  missionary  policy  they 
furnish  an  unfailing  guide.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  they  should  be  familiar  to  members  of  missionary 
committees,  but  they  also  have  uses  for  all  who  care 
for  the  wider  and  deeper  aspects  of  missionary  work. 

— The  Churchman,  London. 


THE  CONTINUATION  COMMITTEE  CONFERENCES 
IN  ASIA:  1912-1913 

Bound  in  cloth;  full  octavo;  488  pages.  Four  full-page  illustrations. 

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